Reading and research series

Researching on the Internet

How do I search the Internet?

• Narrow your topic and its description;
  identify and pull out key words, phrases and categories
• Use a search engine: does it contain a directory of topics?
  Find the best combination of key words to locate information you need;
  Enter these in the search engine
• Get assistance from your local research librarian
• Refer to known, recommended, expert, or reviewed web sites
• Refer to professional portals
  that may have directories or collections by topic
• Review the number of options returned.
  If there are too many web sites, add more keywords.
  If there are too few options, narrow/delete some keywords,
  or substitute other key words
• Review the first pages returned:
  If these are not helpful, review your key words for a better description
• Use advanced search options in search engines:
  Search options include
  • Key word combinations, including Boolean strings
  • Locations where key words are found
    For example: in the title, 1st paragraphs, coded metadata
  • Languages to search in
  • Sites containing media files
    (images, videos, MP3/music, ActiveX, JAVA, etc.)
  • Dates web sites were created or updated
• Research using several search engines
  Each search engine has a different database of web sites it searches
  Some "Meta-Search" engines actually search other search engines!
  If one search engine returns few web sites, another may return many!
• Evaluate the content of the web sites you've found:
  Refer to the Study Guide "Evaluating web site content"
• Track your search:
  List resources you checked; the date your checked them
  Identify the resource, especially its location and the date you found it
• When printing, set your options to print the
  Title of the page | the Web address | the date printed

What are some resources?

• Search engines
  Search Engine Colossus
  links to search engines from 148 countries
• Directories that organize information and links
  • Open Directory Project
    a comprehensive human-reviewed directory of the web
  • IPL2
    features a searchable, subject-categorized directory of authoritative websites; links to online texts, newspapers, and magazines; and the Ask an ipl2 Librarian online reference service
• Web sites devoted to particular topics, including text, graphics, movies, music files.
  Examples include Internet Directory for Botany, Phone-soft Internet Directory International organic Chemistry, Stock photography (royalty free)
• Government documents, forms, laws, policies, etc.
  U.S. Government Printing Office disseminates official information from all three branches of the United States Federal Government
• Services and information by
  non-profit organizations and by for-profit businesses
• LISTSERVs or discussion groups: L-Soft:
  browse any of the 50,686 public LISTSERV lists on the Internet, search for mailing lists of interest, and get information about LISTSERV host sites
• Resources at your local (public) library
  These may require membership or registration
• Newspaper, journal, magazine databases
  Often restricted to subscribers, require registration, or can be fee-based for access

International conventions of copyright govern the use and reproduction of all material: all information should be properly cited

Reading and research series

Reading critically | Pre-reading strategies | SQ3R reading method |
KWL reading method | Marking & underlining | Reading difficult material | Interpretive reading | Reading essays | Reading fiction | Narrator/character types |
Speed and comprehension | Researching on the Internet | Evaluating websites |
Organizing research: computers | Organizing research: note cards